Man Accused of Shooting Halls Security Guard Appears in Court

Knoxville (WVLT) - More than a week after the murder of a Halls High School security guard, the accused gunman makes his first appearance in a Knox County courtroom.

Two of the officers that responded the night Russell Kocur was shot and killed testified.

With his hands and feet cuffed, showing no emotion, a silent Carroll Lineberry walked into court for his preliminary hearing.

"The state is required to prove probable cause in order to send the case to the grand jury and that is what the judge found," explains prosecuting attorney Phil Morton.

Judge Andrew Jackson came to that decision after two of the officers working that night testified.

Officer Steve Lane with the Knox County Sheriffs Department was first to arrive on the scene.

He spent his time on the stand describing what he saw up arrival.

He says he found Officer Kocur face down in the parking lot, unresponsive with no pulse, the only thing nearby, his radio lying underneath him.

The second officer to take the stand was Steve Lane with Knoxville Police Department.

He was asked questions about the pursuit and arrest.

"They try to get as much info as they can surrounding the circumstances surrounding the arrest," says Morton.

Officer Lane talked about his concerns when he was finally able to pull lingberry from the car, saying once he had him on the ground and only one arm behind his back, he heard a distinct "click", which made him believe Lineberry had a gun.

His back-up officer arrived, tazed Lineberry in the back and they were able to cuff him, finding a gun laying on the ground.

The details given in the courtroom were enough to send Lineberry back to jail.

His bond still set at $750,000.

Officer lane confirmed the cruiser camera was rolling throughout the entire pursuit and arrest.

He says the only thing Lineberry said during the arrest was his name, which he later found out was not correct.

Attorneys will now try to schedule the case with a Knox County grand jury.

Meanwhile, a grand jury in Virginia has indicted Lineberry on capital murder and robbery charges in a deadly stabbing case in Galax.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.